Sutton Courtenay

Abingdon, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

The Grave of George Orwell at Sutton Courtenay Church...

On January 21, 1950, Orwell — aged 46 — died of pulmonary tuberculosis. He wanted to be buried “according to the rites of the Church of England”. As he did not belong to any parish, two of his friends arranged for a funeral at Christ Church which was near Regents Park. Malcolm Muggeridge recalled that the Vicar was “excessively parsonical”. The service by all accounts was a “melancholy” affair. Thanks to David Astor's influence, Orwell was buried as he wished in a “country churchyard”, in an Oxfordshire village where the Astors had an estate. As Orwell requested he is buried under his own name "Eric Arthur Blair":

Directions to Orwell's grave
Posted on the bulletin board at the south door to the church are the directions to Orwell's grave. You can tell they have been posted because of the confusion caused by Orwell having been the author's pen name. His true name was Eric Arthur Blair, and that is the name he is buried under. He seems to have used both names interchangably, being known to some people primarily by one and to some by the other. He never legally changed his name, or seems to have any inclination to do so. 

Click on the Image to see the Directions in Full.
George Orwell's Grave
Here is what I had come so far to see. Orwell is buried looking east toward the rising sun, a bit odd when you think about how pessimistic he comes across in his writings, but then I guess you really don't get a choice about the direction you are buried. There are several other pictures of his grave on the Internet; try google to see a few. Some show the rose bush and some do not, so I'm not sure when it was planted. Orwell would have liked to have a rose buried on his chest; it strikes me as in harmony with his idealization of country living. 

Clilck on the Image for more Information.
The headstone
Here is a close up of the headstone. The rose bush does tend to get in the way of the inscription, which reads:

HERE LIES
ERIC ARTHUR BLAIR
BORN JUNE 25th 1903
DIED JANUARY 21st 1950

The Headstone is weathering, with streaks of lichen growing on it. It is holding up much better than other stones that are just a few years older; the lettering is still very sharp and the edges show little sign of wear.  
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